Band plans Fourth of July salute

Published: Thursday, June 27, 2013 5:30 a.m. CST

The DeKalb Municipal Band will present a Salute to the Fourth of July at 8 p.m. July 4 at the Hopkins Park band shell. This is a celebration of our country’s birthday with patriotic and American music, vocalist Zachary Harris, recognition honoring members and veterans of the armed forces, and musical fireworks.

Zachary Harris has been singing in the northern Illinois area for the past seven years and is a veteran soloist for the DeKalb Municipal Band. He’s been featured in many Stagecoach Players shows, performed on the Egyptian Theater stage, and has volunteered his talents to retirement homes, charities and churches.

Harris has recorded three piano/vocal cover albums, and his band, “The Zach Harris Band,” has just recorded its debut original music album titled, “My Stand.”

He performs solo on Friday nights at Tapa La Luna restaurant and bar in downtown DeKalb, and for the past few months has been serving as a praise and worship leader at Glad Tidings Assemblies of God Church. Harris will sing jazz standard “Sweet Georgia Brown,” Rosemary Clooney’s signature song “Tenderly,” and “New York, New York.”

An exciting new piece for Hopkins Park, “The March from 1941,” opens the musical celebration. Famed Hollywood composer John Williams wrote the score for “1941,” a 1979 Steven Spielberg production starring John Belushi. In a comedic way, Spielberg captures the hysteria in Los Angeles just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when fear of a Japanese invasion was imminent. The music captures a bright and patriotic theme that reflects the cheeky attitude of the movie, as well the frenzy of such an event.

Other music making its Hopkins Park debut will be “The All American March,” “Disney at the Movies,” “Americans We” and “Harry’s Wondrous World.” The concert also will feature music the band has traditionally performed on the Fourth of July, such as Morton Gould’s “American Salute” (based on “When Johnny Comes Marching Home”), “America the Beautiful” and the “1812 Overture,” complete with the sounds of cannons and chiming church bells.

Joining Harris in a salute to veterans and the armed forces will be Jill McCormick, Christine Monteiro and Mark Robinson. Joining Harris in a vocal quartet for “Armed Forces – the Pride of America” will be Jill McCormick, Christine Monteiro and Mark Robinson, in a salute to the veterans and members of our armed forces. Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” will lead into a spectacular display of musical fireworks at the end of the evening.